Albus Potter was rushing through the corridors with his friends Zack and Rosie. They had made the unwise decision of spying on Albus' brother James as he snogged Catherine Hikes, Zack's older sister. Now Albus and his friends were scurrying through the castle, trying to find their Divination classroom (even though Albus' parents had told him that the subject was a waste of time) and wondering what the punishment for tardiness was.

"How are we going to get there on time?" Zack groaned as they turned a corner.

"Err… Zack? Haven't you noticed the time? We are already late!" said Rosie, rolling her eyes. "And why did we have to spy on James and Catherine anyway?"

"Because," said Albus as he ran ahead, "I want to annoy him!"

Albus started running up a staircase, Zack and Rosie far behind. Then suddenly-

"ALBUS!" Zack and Rosie cried. For quite suddenly the staircase had changed and was turning away from Zack and Rosie, who remained far below.

"Don't panic!" Albus yelled. "They always change!"

"We'll meet you at Divination!" his friends cried.

Suddenly the staircase stopped. Albus got off gingerly, wondering where he was. He walked slowly down a passageway, looking at the unfamiliar portraits that surrounded him. He turned a corner and saw a painting of a thin poet writing on a scroll of parchment, and suddenly remembered that he had seen that very poet last night, on his way to the Gryffindor common room after the Sorting Hat had placed him there. He paused in front of it.

"Errr… sir…" he began, feeling foolish, "do you know where the Gryffindor common room is?"

The poet suddenly glared at him. "Youthful Gryffindors are young at heart but careless in mind. For 'twas only a Ravenclaw who ever was fit to carry on the fair bloodline of wizardry to the world. I am not fit to speak to such a rowdy adolescent of such an unworthy house!" he declared, writing it all down as he spoke.

"Um… right you are, sir," mumbled Albus, who hadn't understood a word of what he had just heard.

"Off you trot, then!" the poet rambled. "And just so you know, I was only anywhere near the Gryffindor common room last night because I wanted to speak to my dearest acquaintance Dramisby Longreast, whose frame is unfortunately placed so close to that rough house!" he added.

"Great, thanks," said Albus, and he hurried away, thinking that he and Zack should replace Dramisby's frame so that he would never see him and his poetic friend again.

Albus broke into a run as he realised how much time he had wasted. He dared not talk to any more portraits in case they held him up in a similar manner.

Until…

"Well, well," a snide voice from Albus' left said, causing him to spin around in surprise, looking for the source of the noise, "you must be Potter's spawn."

"I-I…," he stuttered, looking at the newly found speaker with great surprise.

It was a man in a portrait. He had long, greasy black hair, dark black eyes, a hooked nose and a sour expression, and reminded Albus of a weird-looking bat. Well, that was what he thought anyway.

"Only very rude little boys," began the man, "such as Potter's offspring," he added with relish, "would be so unmannered as to not introduce himself to a respected elder."

"I-," Albus mumbled, feeling a bit annoyed that the man had just insulted his father.

"Such cowardice of naming a person's self would only be found in the offspring of a Potter," the man continued, grinning wickedly.

"My name," said Albus, now downright angry, "is Albus Severus Potter!"

"Al-," began the man, his face looking as if he was about to sneer, but then he paused. "Severus?"

"That's right," said Albus, looking at the man curiously, because something in his face had changed.

It no longer held the expression that claimed he very much wished to vomit. Instead, his features had softened, a faraway, almost fond look in his eyes. "He named you after me?"

Albus did a double take. His parents had named him after… Severus? THIS SEVERUS?

What the world was coming to, he did not want to know…

Hey Guys!

So this is my FIRST attempt EVER at a fanfic, so I don't expect it to be perfect... but I gave it my best shot, so... Hope you like it! Pls R&R